An outbreak of Covid-19 in Fiji has forced Rotumans there to cancel this year's Rotuma Day celebrations.
But in New Zealand, the pandemic has failed to dampen the islanders' spirits.
Fiji recorded its fourth covid death yesterday as the Suva and Nausori corridor, home to three towns and one-third of the population, goes into a lockdown from 11pm tonight to 4am Wednesday morning.
Fijian President Jioje Konrote, who hails from Rotuma, said the world was hit with this deadly virus and Fiji was no exception.
In his Rotuma Day message, Konrote said while he was relieved the coronavirus had not reached his island home, the effects on Fiji's main island Viti Levu were devastating.
Last year, Rotumans in New Zealand were forced to take their language week celebrations online because of the pandemic. It was their first on the government's Pacific language weeks.
In Wellington last night, Rotumans were able gather together in Wellington to mark 140 years of the island's cession to Britain.
The Museum of NZ's Te Papa Tongarewa hosted the event.
However among the smiles, singing and dancing, one thing was evident: New Zealand Rotumans are fighting to keep their endangered Pacific language alive.
The language, with only about 15,000 speakers in the world, is listed on the UNESCO List of Endangered Languages as 'definitely endangered'.
The language is distinct from other Pacific languages and from Rotuma, a Fijian dependency of tiny islands about 650 kilometres northwest of Fiji's capital Suva.
While fewer than 2,000 people live on the island, there are about 800 Rotumans in New Zealand, and many others reside in Fiji and around the world.
The Secretary and Chief Executive at the Ministry for Pacific Peoples, Laulu Mac Leauanae, was also at Te Papa and paid tribute to the elders and youth in the community for keeping the culture alive.
"It was amazing. So many things, the language and all that but the singing, the singing of the hymns hearing the language, seeing so many Rotumans in the room - over 200, it felt like a 1000 when you hear the singing. But it was just the spirit in the room, was amazing."